A drivable couch at Chicago's Auto Show

suzuki_sofa.top.jpgNot surprisingly, the Suzuki Kizashi is considerably better to drive than this. The Kizashi, however, does not come with chips. By Peter Valdes-Dapena, senior writer


NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It's big, comfortable and gets great fuel economy but it's kind of slow, doesn't drive very well and the braking stinks. That shouldn't be too surprising, considering that this is an Archie Bunker-era couch.

The drivable sofa with a one-cylinder engine, on display in the American Suzuki booth at the Chicago Auto Show, is the punchline to an ad touting Suzuki's new Kizashi sports sedan's ride, performance and comfort.

In addition to an engine that doesn't quite manage six horsepower and a couple of small tears in the upholstery, the couch also features "a variety of loose coins, cookie crumbs and pocket lint resting just beneath the seat cushions," according to an announcement from Suzuki.

Also provided at no extra cost: throw pillows, a remote control and a bowl of chips.

"We knew our Kizashi would prevail against this formidable competitor," joked Steven Younan, director of marketing and product planning for American Suzuki about the head-to-head challenge against the plush furniture piece. "It was just a matter of proving it on the blacktop."

In the ad, the Kizashi outperforms both the couch and an Audi A4 luxury sedan in tests of cornering, breaking and interior quietness.

The public will not be permitted to test drive the couch, Suzuki spokeswoman Janelle Miranda said, citing the lack of pretty much anything related to occupant safety. To top of page

Just the hot list include
Frontline troops push for solar energy
The U.S. Marines are testing renewable energy technologies like solar to reduce costs and casualties associated with fossil fuels. Play
25 Best Places to find rich singles
Looking for Mr. or Ms. Moneybags? Hunt down the perfect mate in these wealthy cities, which are brimming with unattached professionals. More
Fun festivals: Twins to mustard to pirates!
You'll see double in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Ketchup lovers should beware in Middleton, WI. Here's some of the best and strangest town festivals. Play
Find Your Next Car
Index Last Change % Change
Dow 32,627.97 -234.33 -0.71%
Nasdaq 13,215.24 99.07 0.76%
S&P 500 3,913.10 -2.36 -0.06%
Treasuries 1.73 0.00 0.12%
Data as of 6:29am ET
Company Price Change % Change
Ford Motor Co 8.29 0.05 0.61%
Advanced Micro Devic... 54.59 0.70 1.30%
Cisco Systems Inc 47.49 -2.44 -4.89%
General Electric Co 13.00 -0.16 -1.22%
Kraft Heinz Co 27.84 -2.20 -7.32%
Data as of 2:44pm ET
Sponsors

Sections

Bankrupt toy retailer tells bankruptcy court it is looking at possibly reviving the Toys 'R' Us and Babies 'R' Us brands. More

Land O'Lakes CEO Beth Ford charts her career path, from her first job to becoming the first openly gay CEO at a Fortune 500 company in an interview with CNN's Boss Files. More

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.